Half a*sed VFR750 project

[andym]

Hopefully by making a thread it will encourage me to get my arse in gear and do this bike up, rather than letting it rot away in my lockup.

I've just realised I've owned this bike for well over 3 years now

When I bought it, it wasn't a stunning example (I just missed out on that one on ebay the day before), I was looking for a new bike after my GPz project and zxr750 failed project, so the money I got from them and a little I saved (I was unemployed at the time), I managed to get this VFR for £740

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Damage4_zpsab8d79aa.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Grubbyasfu_zps3ac0b519.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Damage3_zpsf7633e17.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Damage1_zpsdbfef604.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/VFRfront_zps88c9effa.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/VFRsode2_zps5549f7d8.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/VFRside1_zpse6534e4c.jpg

The day after I bought the bike the battery fried, so the owner refunded £20 for a battery, I scoured ebay and found a new battery for about that price, and it's still in there now, recently charged up and it turned the engine over fine a couple of weeks ago.

After that initial "glitch", the bike ran perfectly, the only thing I done was put petrol in it and rode it... a lot.

I noticed the chain was getting a little slack, so I tried to adjust it and couldn't, so took it to a garage and they told me the hub was seized.... so I took it back home and set about stripping, cleaning and greasing everything:
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Jack_zps55c3c2f8.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Hub1_zps655141bd.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Hub2_zpsf699b178.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/Clean1_zps17c69234.jpg

In September 2014 I came up to Glasgow for a few weeks and had to do some work on the fuel line and failed fuel pump (which couldn't have happened at a worse time as my best friends mum had been given a few hours to live and I was on my way to the hospital and the bike broke down on the motorway... I dumped the bike and went to the hospital only to find out from the police that the bike would be towed as it was a hazard.... cue me begging for help from BCF, and they delivered within a couple of hours, the bike was taken to a friends, I was extremely grateful, much karma to my knight in shining pickup.... sadly, my friends mum passed away a few hours later).

After the events above, I decided to move back to Glasgow as soon as I could, 4 months later I had my own flat, and after an attempted theft and 2 counts of vandalism (possibly):
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0267_zpsf659eecc.jpg
Also a side panel ripped off:
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0310_zpsbf9a386f.jpg
I threatened my housing association with the bill for any more damage to my bike, and pointed out that the only replacement side panel I could find was £455... they found me a lockup the next day.

In the time I've owned the bike it has needed very little work, the fork seals were replaced a couple of years ago (need replaced again):
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/VFR_zpscccvvbg0.jpg
It had a full service about 18 months ago... and has been parked up for over a year after I got my CBR (now sold) and Ninja (not sold).

A few months ago, I stripped the tank and panels off the bike with the intention of doing it up, then just forgot about it until recently.

The tank and rear wheel were stripped back to bare metal, the instrument cluster (is that the right term?) needed quote a few bulbs replacing:
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0176_zpsg4p5rl49.jpg
Rear wheel primed, (I also learned that cling film and insulating tape are great for masking, until the paint contacts them and the tape shrinks, so I went back to newspaper and masking tape after this picture):
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0196_zpsxhkidcpx.jpg
Wheel before and after:
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0175_zpszfdwkike.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v320/andy36586/VFR/DSC_0207_zpsr0d0ayde.jpg

Currently in the process of doing permanent fairing repairs, but I'll hopefully keep this thread updated until completion of the bike

[stevo as b4]

What you want is a cheap set of decent condition bodywork to prep and paint, and then do any little jobs and servicing etc. It looks a decent tidy bike under all the cosmetic plastics damage, so is well worth fixing up and keeping as a decent useful bike IMO.

If you broke or stripped it for spares instead, I think you'd still need to make a minimum of a grand to be able to buy another bike that's in decent useable condition and doesn't need much doing to it.

[Sean.S]

Wheel's looking good... Looking forward to seeing it finished